London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of Westminster 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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it is negligible. This is a problem which seems bound up with ante-natal
care rather than with infant welfare. The question is not so much the
prevention of deaths of premature infants for their hold on life is exceedingly
precarious, but the prevention of premature birth. This will certainly
receive serious investigation during the current year.
Table XVI.—Births and Infantile Deaths. Nett Births in the year:—
| Males. | Females. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | 491 | 422 | 913 |
| Illegitimate | 68 | 61 | 129 |
| 559 | 483 | 1,042 | |
Nett Deaths in the year of :—
| Males. | Females. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate infants | 35 | 19 | 54 |
| Illegitimate infants | 13 | 8 | 21 |
| 48 | 27 | 75 |
The causes of death of the Illegitimate were:—Murder 1, prematurity
7, pneumonia 2, stomach and bowel diseases 1, congenital defects
3, accidents and negligence 6, and other causes 1.
Table XVII. Infant mortality.—Nett Deaths from stated causes at various ages under One Year of Age in Pimlico Area (Victoria, Knightsbridge St. Georqe and Hamlet Wards).
| CAUSES OF DEATH. | Under 1 Week. | 1—2 Weeks. | 2—3 Weeks. | 3 —4 Weeks. | Total under 4 Weeks. | 4 Weeks and under 3 Months. | 3 Months and under 6 Months. | 6 Months and under 9 Months. | 9 Months and under 12 Months. | Total Deaths under One Year. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebro-spinal Meningitis | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| Bronchitis and Pneumonia (all forms) | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Stomach and bowel | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Whooping Cough | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Premature birth | 8 | — | — | — | 8 | — | 1 | — | — | 9 |
| Accident | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 |
| Congenital defects | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 |
| Other causes | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 4 |
| Murder | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Totals | 9 | 2 | 2 | — | 13 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 40 |
Nett Deaths in the above area during the year:—
| Males. | Females. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | 16 | 13 | 29 |
| Illegitimate | 7 | 4 | 11 |